EDIT: This link was Posted on "EZ999" Thread by
Chugalug, to whom we all owe our thanks for it.
New readers, this is what we're talking about here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8RqlK1d1_k
D.
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Chugalug,
Now from the general to the particular:
0.21
What are these two armourers doing on the wing ? - all they seem to have is a length of empty cottton ammo belting - and in any case we used spring steel clips, not cotton belts ? (as I know to my cost !)
0.22
At first glance, looks like a single gun, and I thought "0.50" for a moment or two, before realising that it's far too small - of course we're looking side-on at a twin 0.303 (you can just see the flash eliminators on the ends - all our guns had them, but I don't think any of the 0.300s did).
But why is this chap stripping his gun down
in situ, instead of taking it to the Armoury and putting it on the bench ? (for surely you had to take the block out first to remove the barrel ?) I
should know, but at ITW I only had a obsolete Vickers "K" gun to take to bits, and then try to put together again. I never even saw a Browning, as they were all needed in service. And in practice we left all that side of the business to our AGs and the Armourers. All we had to worry about was: would it fire when we pressed the button, or not ? We just flew the aeroplane - and that could be trouble enough.
Are there any (ex) Armourers in the House ? Please come in !
0.37
Now we're really confused. This 500lb GP bomb clearly has the tail twin wing "butterfly" on the end (look in the cylindrical "fin" - btw, these sheet metal "click-on" fins came in a strong fibre- board protective container, which in turn became a potential bar stool). They were only put on the bomb itself at the last moment before bombing-up.
But the "butterfly" was the safety device for the tail fuse (on release, the airflow would spin them away off their loose thread and render the fuse "live" by exposing the detonator). Therefore the tail fuse is in this bomb. These little bits of light metal sometimes speared into the lower wing surface or the flaps after release - no problem, but a nuisance to the riggers, who had to dig them out and patch the little shallow holes they left.
Now look at the nose. There should be either a ring-bolt in (for handling in transit). Or, before use, this is removed, the nose fuse goes in and made safe by another loosely screwed-on cap which has angled vanes machined round the rim, this works the same way as the tail, once off the firing pin and the detonator are in business.
So what have we here ? There's no vaned cap - it's just a plug with what looks like a screwdriver slot in it for removal (look at your car battery). So there's no fuse in the nose ! Make sense of that if you can.
You'll all be pleased to know that there is still more on this bomb to come,
but this is enough for one Post.
Cheers, Danny.
PS:
pzu,
Around teatime daughter came in, said, "Dad", there's a Spitfire just flying overhead".
It so happened that a few seconds earlier something very fast and powerful had come out of the N. York Moors LL area, and was climbing northbound in reheat, so that Danny Mansion was shaking. (This used to happen a lot, but less frequently in recent days).
"Rubbish", said Daddy, "that's no Spitfire ! - that's a chap in a jet, giving it the welly".
Ah, well.
You can't win 'em all (we don't take the Gazette).
Thanks for the "Head-Up" just the same !
D.